Wilson's boys turn up the heat

Danny Wilson was delighted to see his Sheffield United side end a three-match losing home run with a 3-0 victory over Colchester, which catapulted them back into the top two.

Barry Robson opened the scoring with a fourth-minute penalty after being fouled by Colchester defender Josh Thompson.

Kevin McDonald added a second with a low, long-range effort in the 73rd minute and Dave Kitson completed the scoring in stoppage time after Diego De Girolamo's shot had been parried by Colchester goalkeeper Sam Walker.

Wilson said: "You get a bit frustrated when you don't win at home and people get a bit anxious, but I think the two away games we've just had in particular, have been a great lift for us.

"To put three good performances in during a short space of time is a measure of the players. They've handled the expectation level very well and now we're putting a bit of pressure on other teams. It's important that we try and challenge for the top two places."

Colchester manager Joe Dunne was satisfied with his side's performance, if not the scoreline.

Dunne said: "It's a disappointing result, but I thought overall that we had a really good go at them and posed a threat at times. We were confident going into the game and the whole thing changes straight away when we conceded a penalty.

"I understand why he gave it, but I think he (Josh Thompson) made a genuine attempt to win the ball. We responded well and created some chances, but there was never really an end product.

"Right up until the second goal, I thought we were right in the game. I thought there were some good performances from some of our players. I thought Bradley (Garmston), who was making his debut at left-back, was excellent.

"It hurt more to lose by three goals because, don't forget, goal-difference is important as well. We need to stay focused because we're still down there and we need to bounce back."